Pads of cigarette rolling papers

ABSTRACT

Pads of cigarette papers for making self-rolled cigarettes are provided comprising a stack ( 1 ) of cigarette paper sheets ( 3 ) adhered to a base sheet ( 2 ). Each sheet ( 3 ) is adhered by means of an adhesive ( 7 ) applied on the bottom side ( 4 ) of the sheet, to the top side ( 6 ) of the sheet ( 5 ) immediately below it in the stack ( 1 ). The top side of the sheet ( 3 ) may be provided with a further layer of adhesive ( 10 ). The invention enables self-rolled cigarette papers, that traditionally have been sold in packets manufactured on customised paper folding and interleaving machines, to be manufactured in pads on machines that may be readily adapted to manufacture other paper products, such as pads of repositionable notes and party hats.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a national stage application of PCT/GB03/02188 filedMay 21, 2003, which in turn claims benefit of Great Britain application0211605.1 filed May 21, 2002. All applications are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entireties.

The present invention is concerned with pads of cigarette rollingpapers. More particularly, the present invention is directed to pads ofcigarette rolling papers for use in making self-rolled cigarettes.

Conventional rolling papers that are used to make self-rolled cigarettesare usually sold in packets of folded and interleaved oblong-shapedcigarette paper sheets, wherein one marginal edge of one of the twosides of each sheet is provided with an adhesive, such as aremoistenable gum e.g. gum arabica, to seal the cigarette after it hasbeen rolled. Such rolling papers are normally cut from paper sheetshaving a weight in the range of from 5 to 40 g/m².

GB-A-23 18992 discloses an oblong-shaped cigarette rolling paper,intended to be sold in packets of conventionally folded and interleavedsheets, having one of the longer marginal edges and one of the shortermarginal edges on one of the two sides of the paper provided with a gum.

Apparatuses for folding and interleaving continuously moving strips ofpaper and cutting the interleaved strips into packets of folded andinterleaved paper sheets are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No.4,290,592 describes such apparatus wherein a supply roll of paper stripis provided for each sheet of paper in a packet, and the strips aresimultaneously drawn from the supply rolls and though a series offormers and interleavers to provide a continuously moving strand ofinterleaved paper strips. The packets are then cut from the continuouslymoving strand of interleaved paper strips by severing means that movesalong with the strand during cutting.

Apparatuses for making packets of folded interleaved cigarette rollingpapers tend to be customised pieces of machinery, being unsuitable formaking anything other than packets of folded interleaved cigaretterolling papers. As there appear to be no folded interleaved paperproducts on the market which are required in high volumes and ofsubstantially the same size as cigarette papers, there is no obviousother product that can be manufactured on such apparatus without majormodification. Moreover, such apparatuses tends not to be readily adaptedfor making packets of folded interleaved papers of other significantlydifferent sized paper sheets, for example such as would be used in themanufacture of certain types of boxed tissue papers. Consequently,because the costs of the apparatuses cannot also be used to manufactureother products, this deters new potential manufacturers of conventionalcigarette rolling papers from entering the market.

Pads of repositionable paper sheets are items of everyday use in mostoffice environments. Such products are, for example, sold by MinnesotaMining & Manufacturing Company, of St Paul, Minn., USA, under the trademark “Post-It”. Such pads are sold in varying shapes, such asoblong-shaped pads and square-shaped pads, and in varying sizes, such aslarge-sized pads and small-sized pads. Each pad comprises i) a basesheet having a top side and a bottom side, and ii) a stack of papersheets comprising an uppermost paper sheet, a lowermost paper sheet anda plurality of paper sheets between said uppermost and lowermost papersheets, wherein each paper sheet of said stack has a top side facingaway from said base sheet and a bottom side facing said base sheet,wherein each paper sheet of said stack is of substantially the sameshape and size, wherein the lowermost paper sheet of said stack isadhered to the top side of said base sheet, and wherein at least aportion, usually a marginal edge, of the bottom side of each sheet ofsaid stack located above said lowermost paper sheet is provided with alayer of pressure sensitive adhesive that adheres said sheet to thepaper sheet immediately below it. Usually, the repositionable sheets arecut from papers having a weight of 80 g m⁻² or more.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,780 discloses a method and apparatus for applyingpressure sensitive adhesive to a substrate, in which the adhesive isdeposited on a transfer surface, such as a circulating transfer belt,dried, and subsequently transferred to a plurality of overlapping sheetsof paper. The sheets are preferably coated with a primer or a lowadhesion backsize, or both, prior to application of the adhesive. Thesheets are then stacked to form master pads, which may then beguillotined into individual pads of repositionable paper sheets.

The advantages of the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,780 aredescribed to be numerous. For example, the coating of supplied sheets ofpaper with pressure sensitive adhesive stripes is achieved in such a waythat the sheets typically do not show any waviness, curling or otherdeviation from flatness. More particularly, the apparatus permits sheetsof various sizes to be coated, limited only by the width of thetransport mechanism that conveys the sheets through the apparatus. Thus,aside from the installation of suitable coating and transfer rollers, noother changes in machine parts are needed when the size of the sheetswhich are to be coated is changed.

WO-A-9102180 discloses a method of wrapping a floral grouping with asheet of material by placing the floral grouping on a top sheet ofmaterial on a pad of sheets of material adhered to each other and thenwrapping the top sheet of material about the floral grouping andsimultaneously disconnecting the top sheet of material from the pad. Thesheet material is constructed from any suitable material that is capableof being wrapped about a floral grouping, such as paper, cellophane,foil, man made organic polymer film, cloth, burlap, and combinationsthereof. In a preferred embodiment, the material is constructed from twolaminated polypropylene films.

It is the object of the present invention to provide cigarette rollingpapers, intended for use in making self-rolled cigarettes, in a formatthat may be manufactured on apparatuses that may also be readily adaptedto manufacture other high volume paper products.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there isprovided a pad of cigarette rolling papers comprising i) a base sheethaving a top side and a bottom side, and ii) a stack of cigarette paperscomprising an uppermost paper, a lowermost paper and a plurality ofpapers between said uppermost and lowermost papers, wherein each paperof said stack has a top side facing away from said base sheet and abottom side facing said base sheet, wherein each paper of said stack isof substantially the same shape and size, wherein the lowermost paper ofsaid stack is adhered to the top side of said base sheet, and wherein atleast a portion of the bottom side of each paper of said stack locatedabove said lowermost paper is provided with a layer of repositionablepressure sensitive adhesive that adheres said paper to the paperimmediately below it.

Preferably, each sheet of cigarette paper in said stack has a weight offrom 5 to 40 g/m².

Each sheet of cigarette papers that make up the stack of papers in thepad of the present invention is preferably rectangular or triangular,most preferably oblong. Preferably, at least one marginal edge on thetop side of each rectangular or triangular paper is provided with alayer of a second adhesive. More preferably, the papers areoblong-shaped and at least one of the longest marginal edges on the topside of each paper is provided with a layer of second adhesive. When thepapers are oblong-shaped and only one of the longest marginal edges ofthe top side of each paper is provided with a layer of second adhesive,the pressure sensitive adhesive used to adhere the paper to the paperbelow it is preferably applied to the opposite longest marginal edge onthe bottom side of the paper. Preferably the second adhesive is off-seta distance from the very edges of the paper e.g. by from 0.25 to 25 mm,preferably from 1 to 10 mm. The second adhesive is preferably aremoistenable adhesive, such as a water soluble adhesive e.g. gumarabica.

In one particular embodiment, the second adhesive used on the top sideof each sheet of substantially rectangular or triangular cigarette paperis a remoistenable gum, e.g. gum arabica, such as the gum found on aconventional cigarette rolling paper. However, in other embodiments ofthe present invention, it is envisaged that the second adhesive used onthe top side of each sheet of cigarette paper may be, for example, apressure sensitive adhesive which is repositionable and/or which isprotected by a removable strip, such as is found on some envelopes. Inanother embodiment, the second adhesive applied on the top side of thesheet is an adhesive that acts as a contact adhesive with therepositionable pressure sensitive adhesive on the bottom side of thesame sheet. In such another embodiment, the adhesive used on the topside of each sheet of rectangular cigarette paper is preferably apressure sensitive adhesive.

One or both of the repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive and thesecond adhesive may comprise a colourant, such as a pigment or dye. Thecolourant may be visible under visible light or only under light ofcertain wavelengths, such as UV light. Alternatively, the colourant maybe a fluorescent material.

One or both of the repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive and thesecond adhesive may be applied to the papers in the stack in such amanner so as to provide a pattern of adhesive on the paper. Preferably,the repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive is applied in a patternto the papers in the stack. The pattern may be applied such that it isvisible from the opposite side of the paper on which it is applied. Thepattern may be an advertisement, picture, slogan, logo or trademark.

Though the repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive is preferablyapplied at the marginal edge of each paper, to assist separation of thepapers during use, it is preferred that the adhesive is off-set adistance, e.g. from about 0.25 to 25 mm, preferably from 1 to 10 mm,from the very edge of the paper. By off-setting the adhesive a shortdistance from the edge of the paper, it becomes possible for a user toeasily lift the top paper, with the use of fingers, from that edge andseparate the paper from the remaining stack of papers. In anotherembodiment, the repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive is positionedaway from the marginal regions of the papers e.g. in the central regionof the papers.

The repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive may be applied to thesame marginal edge of the papers in the stack, so as to provide a pad ofcigarette papers held together in the form of a book with a singleadhesive spine. Alternatively, the adhesive may be applied on differentmarginal edges of adjacent papers in the stack. For example, theadhesive may be applied on opposite marginal edges of successive papers,so as to provide a pad of cigarette papers held together in the form ofa concertina i.e.

.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided arectangular pad of cigarette papers comprising i) a base sheet having atop side and a bottom side, and ii) a stack of rectangular cigarettepapers comprising an uppermost paper, a lowermost paper and a pluralityof papers between said uppermost and lowermost papers, wherein eachpaper of said stack has a top side facing away from said base sheet anda bottom side facing said base sheet, wherein each paper of said stackis of substantially the same shape and size, wherein the lowermost papersheet of said stack is adhered to the top side of said base sheet, andwherein at least a portion of one of the marginal edges on the bottomside of each paper of said stack located above said lowermost papersheet is provided with a layer of adhesive that adheres said paper tothe paper immediately below it; characterised in that at least a part ofthe marginal edge on the top side of each paper opposite the marginaledge under which there is adhesive adhering said paper to the paperbelow is provided with a second layer of adhesive.

Preferably, the adhesive applied to the bottom side of the paper is apressure sensitive adhesive, more preferably a repositionable pressuresensitive adhesive.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each sheet is preferablyprovided with a line of perforations close to the layer of adhesive thatsticks the papers together, thereby to enable the individual papers, ora major part thereof, to be carefully ripped away from part of the padwhere the papers are adhered together, rather than relying on separatingthe adhered papers. Whilst this embodiment can be used when the adhesiveis a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive, it is preferablyemployed when the adhesive is a permanent adhesive i.e. when theadhesive is non-repositionable and attempts to separate the individualpapers is likely to lead to the papers being accidentally torn.

Preferably the pad is oblong-shaped. Preferably, when the pad isoblong-shaped, the adhesive layers are applied on longitudinal marginaledges of the papers.

In one aspect of this preferred embodiment, the layer of adhesiveapplied on the top side of each paper is a remoistenable gum, e.g. gumarabica such as found on conventional cigarette rolling papers.

Preferably each sheet of paper in the stack has a weight of from 5 to 40g/m². Preferably the pads are made of sheets of paper that aresubstantially the same size and weight as a conventional cigaretterolling paper.

In another aspect of this preferred embodiment, the layer of adhesiveapplied to the top side of the paper is a pressure sensitive adhesive.Preferably, the paper has a weight of from 5 to 40 g/m².

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a pad of cigarette rolling papers, for making self-rolledcigarettes, comprising i) a base sheet having a top side and a bottomside, and ii) a stack of sheets of oblong-shaped or triangular-shapedcigarette paper comprising an uppermost sheet, a lowermost sheet and aplurality of sheets between said uppermost and lowermost paper sheets,wherein each sheet of cigarette paper in said stack has a top sidefacing away from said base sheet and a bottom side facing said basesheet, wherein each sheet of said stack is of substantially the sameoblong-shape or triangle-shape and size, wherein the lowermost papersheet of said stack is adhered to the top side of said base sheet,wherein at least a portion of one marginal edge on the bottom side ofeach sheet of said stack located above said lowermost paper sheet isprovided with a layer of adhesive that adheres said sheet to the papersheet immediately below it. Preferably the pads are made of sheets ofpaper that are substantially the same size and weight as a conventionalcigarette rolling paper. Preferably, each sheet of paper in said stackhas a weight from 5 to 40 g/m². Preferably, the adhesive that adheressaid sheet to the paper sheet immediately below it is a repositionablepressure sensitive adhesive.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of making aself-rolled cigarette, the method comprising a) separating a cigarettepaper from a pad of cigarette papers as described above, b) placing anappropriate amount of tobacco in the central region of the top side ofthe paper, c) lifting an edge of the paper and rolling it towardsanother edge of the paper such that edges overlap with the pressuresensitive adhesive applied on the bottom side of one edge going underthe top side of the other edge, and d) applying light pressure along theoverlapping region to seal the tobacco inside the rolled cigarettepaper.

Preferably, at least a part of a marginal edge on the top side of eachsheet of paper is provided with a second layer of adhesive.

Preferably, the sheets of paper are oblong-shaped. Preferably, at leasta portion of one of the longitudinal marginal edges on the bottom sideof each sheet of said stack located above said lowermost paper sheet isprovided with a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive that adheres saidsheet to the paper sheet immediately below it. Preferably, at least apart of the longitudinal marginal edge on the top side of each sheet ofpaper opposite the longitudinal marginal edge under which there ispressure sensitive adhesive adhering said sheet to the sheet below isprovided with a second layer of adhesive.

Preferably, the layer of adhesive applied on the top side of each sheetis a remoistenable gum, e.g. gum arabica such as found on conventionalcigarette rolling papers but it may also be any other adhesive includinga pressure sensitive adhesive or a contact adhesive with the adhesive onthe bottom side of the sheet.

Whilst the sheets of paper in each of the above embodiments of eachaspect of the present invention may generally be of a rectangular ortriangular shape, one or more of the marginal edges of such sheets maybe cut into fancy or decorative shapes. For example, a saw shaped edge.

Preferably, unless stated otherwise, in each of the above embodiments ofeach aspect of the present invention, the adhesive that is used toadhere one sheet of paper to a sheet of paper immediately below it inthe stack is a pressure sensitive adhesive, more preferably arepositionable pressure sensitive adhesive.

The present invention advantageously enables cigarette rolling papers tobe manufactured on non-customised machinery. For example, the machinerydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,780 is suitable for making pads ofcigarette rolling papers as well as pads of repositionable paper sheetscommonly used in offices. Accordingly, more paper product manufacturesare now able to offer manufacture of cigarette rolling papers in theirproduct range.

Persons skilled in the art of making pads of paper will readily be ableto manufacture the pads of the present invention. For example, all padsthat are embodiments of the present invention may be manufacturedemploying machinery such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,780. Whenthe top side of each sheet is provided with an adhesive, such as aremoistenable gum e.g. gum arabica, such an adhesive is preferablyapplied to the paper before it processed in the machinery.Alternatively, the adhesive may be applied to the papers during themanufacture of the pads. Such an “in-line” process can be carried out ina conventional manner.

Pads of the present invention may comprise stacks of paper sheetswherein the sheets have a decorative finish Suitable decorative finishesinclude one or more decorative images selected from the group consistingof patterns, scenic views, portraits, photographic images, and cartooncharacters, such as typically found on conventional wrapping papers.Decorative finishes may also be selected from one or more ofadvertisements, company names, slogans, trademarks and logos, pricelists, product information, maps, route directions, and time tables. Theinks used to make the images on the sheets of paper are preferablynon-toxic, this is particularly so when the pads are pads of cigaretterolling papers or intended for other human consumption applications.

The pads of the present invention may be made from flavoured and/orscented papers, such as chocolate, coffee, mint or banana. Theflavourings or scents used to make such papers are preferably non-toxic,this is particularly so when the pads are pads of cigarette rollingpapers or intended for other human consumption applications.

In another embodiment, the flavourings and/or scents may be carried inone or more of the adhesives, such as in the repositionable pressuresensitive adhesive that adheres the papers together and/or in the secondadhesive. A person skilled in the relevant art can readily formulatesuch flavourings and/or scents into the adhesives.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided the use ofcigarette paper in the preparation of a pad of papers. The pads producedby such use are as described above.

In another aspect, there is provided a method for rolling a self-rolledcigarette, which method comprises separating or ripping a cigarettepaper from a pad of cigarette papers as described above and rolling acigarette using the paper. Preferably, the paper comprises a secondadhesive which is a remoistenable gum and the cigarette is rolled in aconventional manner.

The invention enables self-rolled cigarette papers, that traditionallyhave been sold in packets manufactured on customised paper folding andinterleaving machines, to be manufactured in pads on machines that maybe readily adapted to manufacture other paper products, such as pads ofrepositionable notes and party hats.

Various embodiments of the invention are now further explained withreference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a pad according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a preferred embodiment of apad according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a pad of cigarette papersaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

In FIG. 1, a pad of paper, which is manufactured employing the machinerydisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,780, comprises a stack 1 of cigarettepaper sheets, each sheet weighing approximately 18 g/m², adhered to abased sheet 2. The bottom side 4 of each sheet 3 is adhered to the topside 6 of the sheet 5 immediately below it by a repositionable pressuresensitive adhesive 7 applied along the marginal edge 8 of the bottomside of the sheet 3. The uppermost sheet 3 may be pulled away from sheetbelow it 5 by lifting the marginal edge 9.

To make a self-rolled cigarette, the sheet 3 is pulled away from thestack 1. An appropriate amount of tobacco is placed in the centralregion of the top side of the sheet. Then the marginal edges 8 and 9 arelifted and rolled towards each other such that the pressure sensitiveadhesive applied on the bottom side of marginal edge 8 goes under thetop side of marginal edge 9. Light pressure is then applied along theoverlapping region to seal the tobacco inside the roll of cigarettepaper.

In FIG. 2, a pad of paper, which is manufactured employing the machinerydisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,780, comprises a stack 1 of cigarettepaper sheets, each sheet weighing approximately 18.30 g/m², adhered to abased base sheet 2. The bottom side 4 of sheet 3 is adhered to the topside 6 of the sheet 5 immediately below it by a repositionable pressuresensitive adhesive 7 applied along the marginal edge 8 of the bottomside of the sheet 3. A layer of gum arabica 10, which is applied to thepaper before the paper is formed into the pad, is applied along themarginal edge 9 on the top side 6 of each sheet. The uppermost sheet maybe pulled away from sheet below it by lifting the marginal edge 9.

To make a self-rolled cigarette, the sheet 3 is pulled away from thestack 1. An appropriate amount of tobacco is placed in the centralregion of the top side of the sheet. Then the marginal edges 8 and 9 arelifted and rolled towards eachother such that the pressure sensitiveadhesive applied on the bottom side of marginal edge 8 goes under thetop side 6 of marginal edge 9. The line of gum arabica 10 is then wettedby tongue and then light pressure applied along the roll of paper tomake a seal along the line of gum arabica.

In FIG. 3, a pad of cigarette papers as illustrated in FIG. 2 isprovided with a line of perforations 11 to enable the portion of thesheet adhered to the sheet below to be torn away from the remainder ofthe sheet.

1. A sheet of cigarette rolling paper suitable for forming a self-rolledcigarette, the sheet of cigarette rolling paper having a weight of from5 to 40 g/m², a top side and a bottom side, wherein a portion of thebottom side is provided with a layer of repositionable pressuresensitive adhesive having properties suitable for moisture-free adheringof said portion of the bottom side to the top side of the paper when thepaper is formed into a cigarette by rolling the paper around tobacco. 2.The sheet of cigarette rolling paper of claim 1 wherein the portion ofthe bottom side is offset 0.25 to 25 mm from an edge.
 3. A cigaretteformed the cigarette rolling paper of claim
 1. 4. A pad of self-adheringcigarette rolling papers for making self-rolled cigarettes comprising i)a base sheet having a top side and a bottom side, and ii) a stack ofcigarette rolling papers comprising an uppermost cigarette rollingpaper, a lowermost cigarette rolling paper and a plurality of cigaretterolling papers between said uppermost and lowermost cigarette rollingpapers, wherein each paper of said stack has a top side facing away fromsaid base sheet and a bottom side facing said base sheet, wherein eachpaper of said stack is of substantially the same shape and size, eachcigarette rolling paper having a weight of from 5 to 40 g/m², whereinthe lowermost paper of said stack is adhered to the top side of saidbase sheet, and wherein at least a portion of the bottom side of eachpaper of said stack located above said lowermost paper is provided witha layer of repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive that adheres saidsheet to the paper immediately below it and is suitable formoisture-free adhering of said portion of the bottom side to the topside of the same paper when the paper is separated from the pad andformed into a cigarette by rolling the paper around tobacco.
 5. The padof cigarette rolling papers of claim 4, wherein the pad comprises i) abase sheet having a top side and a bottom side, and ii) a stack ofrectangular cigarette papers comprising an uppermost paper, a lowermostpaper and a plurality of papers between said uppermost and lowermostpapers, wherein each paper of said stack has a top side facing away fromsaid base sheet and a bottom side facing said base sheet, wherein eachpaper of said stack is of substantially the same shape and size, whereinthe lowermost paper of said stack is adhered to the top side of saidbase sheet, and wherein at least a portion of one of the marginal edgeson the bottom side of each paper of said stack located above saidlowermost paper is provided with a layer of adhesive that adheres saidpaper to the paper immediately below it; characterized in that at leasta part of the marginal edge on the top side of each paper opposite themarginal edge under which there is adhesive adhering said paper to thepaper below is provided with a second layer of adhesive.
 6. The pad ofcigarette rolling papers of claim 4 comprising i) a base sheet having atop side and a bottom side, and ii) a stack of oblong-shaped ortriangle-shaped cigarette papers comprising an uppermost sheet, alowermost sheet and a plurality of sheets between said uppermost andlowermost paper sheets, wherein each sheet of cigarette paper in saidstack has a top side facing away from said base sheet and a bottom sidefacing said base sheet, wherein each sheet of said stack is ofsubstantially the same oblong-shape or triangle-shape and size, whereinthe lowermost paper sheet of said stack is adhered to the top side ofsaid base sheet, wherein at least a portion of one marginal edge on thebottom side of each sheet of said stack located above said lowermostpaper sheet is provided with a layer of adhesive that adheres said sheetto the paper sheet immediately below it.
 7. The pad of claim 4 whereinthe sheets of cigarette paper have a decorative finish.
 8. The pad ofclaim 4 wherein the sheets of paper and/or at least one adhesive is/areflavoured and/or scented.
 9. The pad of claim 4, wherein each cigarettepaper in the stack is formed from cigarette paper having a weight offrom 10 to 25 g m⁻².